Yes, Queen

RIKU

The "REC" light on the camera felt almost blinding.

“You may be wondering why I am broadcasting from such… humble surroundings,” Kagayaki said. Her voice had shifted into that terrifyingly perfect register she used for the camera. "You have seen my pilgrimages to the grandest stages in Tokyo. But this apartment complex… In my youth, this was the pilgrimage."

To the side, Yumi’s secondary camera monitor was a waterfall of scrolling text. The chat was moving so fast it may as well be a blur of neon colors.

“Kagayaki in a dump like this?!” “Man, Riku’s really had it rough.” “You think an office lady like me can fix him?”

Kagayaki’s eyes, just for a second, flicked over to Riku.

"Some evenings, after school, this was where I hung out with Riku. Today, I’m here to settle something between us.”

Riku tensed up. Not because she lied—all of that did happen. It was the way she described it, through the lens of her character. Riku knew he should be pissed off.

But why did this… appeal to him? Why did hearing her acknowledge their past, even as a "bit" for a livestream, make his stomach do a stupid, distracting flip?

Therapists were way too expensive in Japan to find that out.

Kagayaki motioned for Yumi to pan the camera away from her and around Riku’s house.

“I have extended my hand to create a fair, competitive environment,” Kagayaki crooned. “As you can see, Riku-kun lacks the facilities of STRIVEEE. This clutter… well, it’s evident that he needs to get his life together. It is tragic, really, how our paths diverged.”

It was really easy to see the stream chat from his and Hana’s angle. So they couldn’t help but read it.

“YEAH!!” a chatter said. “What right did Riku have trying to embarrass our Princess like that?!”

“At least Kagayaki didn’t seem to mind…”

Riku saw Hana’s eyebrow twitching in the background. He prayed the camera missed it, otherwise those fans will target Hana too.

“Hence,” Kagayaki continued, “he shall be accompanying me to the COMEDOWN Compound to produce his music. Luckily, he’s not completely helpless. He does, I suppose, possess a modicum of musical talent.”

Riku really had his hands tied here. He was already in trouble for causing Kagayaki to lose her cool. If he pushed back too much, he’d just be viewed as arrogant. Yes, he’d seen the stupid fan polls. #TeamRiku had a hell of a hill to climb in terms of public sentiment.

But sometimes… he couldn’t help himself.

“A ‘modicum’ of talent?” Riku stepped into the frame. “If I recall correctly, Princess, you weren’t complaining about my ‘modicum’ of talent when we were ten years old.”

Kagayaki stiffened.

“We were children,” she scoffed. “Childhood delusions of grandeur are hardly relevant to—”

“Are ‘delusions’ what we’re calling the ‘Living Room World Tour’? Because I seem to remember a certain little girl standing on that very coffee table demanding I play the piano faster because ‘the crowd’—which was just my stuffed animals—was getting restless.”

The chat on Yumi’s screen went nuclear.

“OMG BABY KAGAYAKI??” “Lore drop was not on my 2025 bingo card” “that’s actually so cute lol”

“I—I was practicing!” She tried to step back, but the cramped apartment left her nowhere to go. “And you should be honored I allowed you to be my accompanist!”

“I was terrified,” Riku deadpanned. “But you know what else I remember? You told me this ‘dump’ of an apartment… was the only stage where you weren’t afraid to sing.”

For a second, the livestream didn't matter. The "Rivals" script didn't matter.

It was just the two of them remembering the days before life got way too hard.

Kagayaki’s lips parted, but no sound came out.

Thwack.

Before he knew it, Kagayaki hit his face with a pillow she picked up from the couch.

“Chat, disregard his lies! He is fabricating memories for clout! Yumi, cut the feed! We. Are Leaving. Now!”

Kagayaki instantly slumped as the feed turned off.

“You think you are being funny?!” Kagayaki screamed. “You nearly compromised everything!”

“What could I have compromised?” he said smugly.

“Oh, I don’t know. People getting the wrong idea about what’s between us, maybe?!”

“Why couldn’t it have been just banter between friends? You draw your own conclusions, you pervert.”

“You want me to pull out of our little agreement? ‘Cuz I will!”

“Let’s just go, please,” Hana intervened.

At that, Kagayaki closed her eyes. The walls in this place were super thin, after all. “Ugh, fine. But this isn’t over.”

God, what a haughty brat, holding that over him like that.

“Some things never change,” Riku muttered.

\\

They turned off the camera before stepping outside, of course—some people might be insane enough to track down the location based on the cloud formation alone. They walked out to COMEDOWN’s black limousine waiting at the curb.

Kagayaki stopped at the open door.

“You first,” she said calmly. “I am, after all, smaller than you.”

God, not this again.

“Can’t you see how much thinner I’ve gotten?”

“Can’t you see that a girl might have second thoughts going into a car first, afraid of being squished by a guy?”

“I am not going to squish you or do anything of the sort without your consent!” Riku replied exasperatedly.

Kagayaki made a weird face. “Just get in, Riku.”

He rolled his eyes but ducked his head and slid into the leather interior.

His fingers travelled the seat’s texture. Wow. So this was what a leather chair felt like? Riku thought Naomi was exaggerating when she boasted about her furniture back home.

He instinctively moved to the far left of the rear bench to leave space. Hana followed.

Then came Yumi, lugging the massive broadcast camera rig. She paused, one foot inside, eyeing the empty space next to Riku, then the space next to Yumi. She looked at Riku’s shoulders. Then at her camera. Then back at Riku’s shoulders.

“Yeah, no,” Yumi chirped. “If I sit there, this lens is going into Riku’s ribs.”

Before Riku could protest that there was plenty of room, Yumi plopped down next to Hana. That left exactly one spot.

Right next to him.

Kagayaki hesitated at the door.

“Well?” Yumi grinned, patting her camera. “We don’t have all day to get to the COMPOUND, Princess.”

With a stiff huff, Kagayaki climbed in. “I am merely reconsidering my choices ferrying a guy who’s not even considerate of the risk I am taking to do this.”

“I am plenty considerate,” Riku retorted.

The leather creaked as she settled. The heavy door thunked shut, and they were off to the races.

For a while, things were awkward. Neither side wanted to talk.

The electric car was silent, save for the scratching of a pen. Riku risked a glance across the aisle.

“How’s the… ‘stream’ doing…?” Riku chanced. He was entirely unfamiliar with streaming culture, what with having limited internet access due to where he lived.

“Top three for the whole year,” Yumi said. “Team Riku is positively ecstatic this is happening at all, though Yuuji fans sometimes override the conversation.”

“As expected,” Kagayaki added.

All Riku could feel was his heart going thump-thump-thump.

Yumi had a notepad out. She wasn't looking at the road. She was looking at him. She’d scribble something down, look at Riku’s worn-out sneakers, and scribble again. Then she’d glance at his posture.

Scritch, scratch. What is she writing? Is she grading me? Listing my flaws?

He was trapped. In this... this bubble. Naomi was right there. A whole foot away—and he could feel the heat coming off her.

He could smell her perfume; it seemed to replace his entire oxygen supply.

He hated his threadbare t-shirt. He hated his cheap, worn-out jeans. He hated that his hands were still clammy and that it was quite obvious that he was nervous, but he didn’t know why.

He redirected his entire focus to the headrest in front of him.

This is for the challenge. This is for the challenge. This is for the challenge.

But he could hear her breathing…

Stop it. Don't think about it. Don't be a creep. This was bad. If Riku told her how he really felt, she’d just cut him off there and then! Riku would rather die.

Inexplicably, he looked up at Kagayaki’s face, whose eyes were squarely concentrated on the window.

I wonder what goes on in her head? What was she thinking behind those perfect, porcelain-doll eyes?

\\

NAOMI

Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodhe’slookingatme…!

\\

RIKU

Of course, the COMEDOWN Compound had gates manned by three guards. Of course, she lived in the hills. And of course, she had a damn valet parking service.

It wasn't just the luxury that scared Riku. It was who was inside. Izumi. Mi-Cha. Bukit.

You know, the other members of COMEDOWN. 

They probably hate me, Riku thought. I humiliated their leader. I’m walking into a lion’s den where everyone wants to kill me.

“Miss Kagayaki-san,” the parking attendant acknowledged smoothly as he opened the door.

“Thank you!” Kagayaki said, practically leaping out of the car. She looked back at Riku. “What’s with that face? I pay them not to bite.”

“No… I…” He was unused to luxury… or anyone opening the door for him aside from Hana when she was annoyed.

“Sir,” the attendant smiled, noticing Riku's grip on his seatbelt. “Perhaps a glass of water would calm your nerves? We understand that Miss Kagayaki is a lot to deal with…”

Kagayaki bristled. “Do you want me to fire you?!”

Thwack. Yumi hit Kagayaki on the head with a rolled-up call sheet.

Kagayaki recoiled. “Ow…”

Yumi huffed, walking past her. “That guard has worked far harder for his paycheck than you have today, Kagayaki. Know your place. I'm going to set up the lighting.”

“Uh… yeah, you are right. Sorry.”

“Come along, Hana,” Yumi added, spotting a kindred spirit in the exhausted, pragmatic girl. “Let me show you to our personal barista.”

Hana huffed. “A barista. Tsk. Though a coffee would do me wonders right about now…”

As he saw them walk off, he redirected his attention to the valet.

The valet simply smiled, pulling something from his pocket and giving it to Riku. 

Whoa. A miniature-branded COMEDOWN water bottle?

“Consider this complimentary.”

“T-Thanks…” Riku could only reply.

Suddenly, Kagayaki turned to him.

Yumi was gone. Hana was gone. It was just them.

Her eyes widened.

“If you will excuse me, I shall take my leave,” Kagayaki suddenly declared. “I will meet you in the studio inside. Post-haste!”

“Wait, Naomi—” He didn’t know where the studio was in this labyrinth of a building.

But it was too late. She ran off through that very intimidating front door.

“Welcome home, Miss Kagayaki,” the door chimed smartly as she ran in.

Huh. What neat technology.

Wait a second. If the technology was smart then— “Wait up, Kagayaki! I don’t have a damn keycard!!”

He ran and ran.

But it was for naught! The door shut in front of his face as he ran into the gates.

Mercilessly, he slammed face-first into the wood. The impact knocked the remaining wind out of him, and his ass plopped onto the cold stone floor.

“Ow…..”

“Need a hand?”

A very beautiful woman wearing a sports bra and high-waisted leggings knelt over him, one hand brushing back her overflowing hair.

Her skin glistened with a sheen of sweat.

This woman looked like she ate guys like him for protein.